TWO divers were missing, feared drowned, last night in the second

underwater tragedy to hit the west coast of Scotland in less than six

weeks.

The men were with a party on a boat chartered out of Tobermory, Mull,

when they failed to surface off Bo Faskadale rock about six miles out

from Ardnamurchan.

The charter boat, Sheerwater, called for help just before 3pm and a

search was launched by Tobermory lifeboat and a Navy helicopter from HMS

Gannet at Prestwick. They were also joined in the search by two pleasure

boats.

It is understood the missing divers, who have not been named but are

believed to be from north London, told friends they wanted to reach 70

metres using just compressed air.

As darkness fell last night, experts from the Naval deep-dive vessel,

Instow, went into the water to inch their way down a thin marker-line

left floating on the surface by the pair.

The operation is delicate because pressure put on the string from

above could snap it.

Coastguard chief, Mr Tony Arden, said last night: ''Our information is

that the two men at Ardnamurchan were out to better their records which

is known as 'bounce diving'.

''It is something no diver should do, no matter how experienced. This

area is hugely attractive to divers at every level of experience and I

would plead with them again to follow the rules and not take risks.

''Nobody should try to go deeper than 30 metres with air only. The

narks are almost inevitable at that sort of depth unless a mixture is

used.''

The narks are a form of nitrogen narcosis which causes bubbles in the

bloodstream to affect the brain.

Mr Arden said: ''It is like being very drunk underwater. You lose

control of what you are doing.''

He added: ''There is little or no hope of recovering the divers alive.

Given the time they have been missing, we are searching for bodies.''

The charter boat was returning to Tobermory where police were waiting

to take statements.

The incident comes six weeks after two amateur divers died while

exploring the hull of a Second World War ammunition supply ship, 60ft

below the surface in Ardmucknish Bay, north of Oban.

The bodies of Mr David Waterhouse, 29, of Deeside, Clwyd, and Mr David

Weaver, 26, of Nercwys, Mold, both North Wales, have not been recovered,

despite extensive searches by police, naval, and civilian underwater

teams.

At the time, Mr Arden warned divers that debris on the vessel, SS

Breda, had made it dangerous to all but the most careful.